Barack Obama has said he avoids speaking out about contemporary politics more often because he doesn’t want to become a “commentator” like Jon Stewart.
The former president has rarely spoken about his successors since leaving office in 2017, outside of special occasions such as midterms.
In a new profile in the New Yorker, Obama stated that he had made a concious decision not to actively involve himself in political debate.
“For me to function like Jon Stewart, even once a week, just going off, just ripping what was happening — which, by the way, I’m glad Jon’s doing it — then I’m not a political leader, I’m a commentator,” said Obama.
He continued: “The media environment is so difficult that people don’t even know all the stuff I am doing, right? And, I think, when they do see me, then the sense is Well, why isn’t he doing that every day instead of just during a midterm election, or during a referendum campaign around gerrymandering, or what have you?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Obama revealed that he only spends about 10 percent of his time on his production company Higher Ground.
Last month, he announced that the company is transitioning to become an independent operation after their deal with Netflix came to an end.
The former president and First Lady Michelle Obama founded the company in 2018 when they signed a deal with the streamer. That agreement was later extended in 2024 to a multi-year first-look deal for all of its film and television projects.
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In that time, Higher Ground produced several movies, including the 2023 apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind starring Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke.
Obama told reporters in Philadelphia that he and Michelle were “very grateful” for the launch that happened with Netflix, adding that they are currently “in the process now of transitioning to a more independent [company] where we can work with a bunch of different studios.”
Higher Ground is also behind the Oscar-nominated films Rustin, American Symphony and Crip Camp, as well as the Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentary American Factory. Other notable productions include the limited series Bodkin, the NBA docu-series Starting Five and the 2021 Kevin Hart-led family comedy Fatherhood.
Recently, Higher Ground expanded its scope beyond film and TV. The Obamas are co-producers for the Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof, which opened April 16 starring Ayo Edebiri, Don Cheadle, Pachinko’s Jin Ha and Orange Is the New Black star, Samira Wiley. The 16-week run is directed by Tony-winner Thomas Kail, who also produced the play alongside Mike Bosner and the Obamas.
“To bring this landmark play back to Broadway with Ayo, Don, Tommy, and Mike at the helm is an extraordinary privilege, and we couldn’t be more proud to be part of this production,” the Obamas said in an earlier statement.
